Adam Zagoria via Zagsblog (
zagsblog.com) was among those reporting Thursday that the Spalding Hoophall Classic – annually one of high school basketball's top showcase events – will not take place in 2021 amid rising COVID-19 cases around the country.
Held near the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame in Springfield, Mass., the Hoophall Classic is the latest national tournament or event to cancel, joining others like the Bass Pro Shops Tournament of Champions in Missouri, City of Palms Classic in Florida, Chick-fil-A Classic in South Carolina, 'Iolani Classic in Hawaii and John Wall Holiday Invitational in North Carolina.
Although the schedule was never officially announced, teams expected to participate included eight of the top 10 in the preseason MaxPreps Top 25 – No. 1
Montverde Academy (Montverde, Fla.), No. 2
IMG Academy (Bradenton, Fla.), No. 3
Sunrise Christian Academy (Bel Aire, Kan.), No. 4
Ypsi Prep Academy (Ypsilanti, Mich.), No. 5
Prolific Prep (Napa, Calif.), No. 7
Coronado (Henderson, Nev.), No. 9
Paul VI (Chantilly, Va.) and No. 10
DeMatha (Hyattsville, Md.).
In addition to major tournaments and events, nine state governing bodies have already pushed start dates back to January or later with four undecided states expected to start sometime in the spring.
Paul VI of Virginia and Sierra Canyon of California battled it out in front of a packed house at last year's Spalding Hoophall Classic.
Photo by Lonnie Webb
